ROCKFORD — When there are no living Civil War veterans, historians turn to books, letters, photos and documents to remember the Battle of Gettysburg.

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the battle most history buffs consider the turning point of the Civil War.

Gettysburg offered hope to Northern soldiers who had been losing battle after battle. Federal calvaries were able to hold off Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of North Virginia from invading Union cities like Philadelphia.

The North won the battle, but many say both sides lost. When the dust settled, more than 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing.

“Some officers who were watching this carnage take place did almost lose their minds. It was more than what the human mind would be able to comprehend,” said Terry Dyer, a historian and lecturer based in Winnebago County.

Take a step back in time and learn how Winnebago County’s Boys in Blue contributed to the war’s most celebrated battle.

July 1, 1863
Tens of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers poured into the small town of Gettysburg not knowing that they would engage in what would become one of the bloodiest encounters of the Civil War.

Two of the three units that fought in the Battle of Gettysburg — the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry and 12th Illinois Volunteer Calvary — had Winnebago County men in them, said Adriana Schroeder, the Illinois National Guard’s command historian.

Many historians say the battle began shortly after Brig. Gen. John Buford’s division formed a picket line in front of Union soldiers near McPherson Ridge. Lt. Marcellus E. Jones of DuPage County borrowed his sergeant’s carbine and took the first shot at a Confederate officer.

“It was like so many really famous battles that get started almost by accident. They would have not chosen that area for the largest battle in the continental US,” Dyer said.

The men were entrenched in the heart of battle, near the Railroad Cut. Confederate soldiers pushed them back until they went through Gettysburg and ended at Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill.

There, Union soldiers were able to rally. They met up with stragglers from other regiments and spent the night.

July 2, 1863
Enemy sharpshooters started firing at Union soldiers shortly before 9 a.m., although the Boys in Blue were able to hold their own until relieved by Maj. Gen. Dan Sickles’s men.

The 8th and 12th were then ordered to leave Gettysburg and protect ammunition in Westminster, Md. They were ordered to thwart a potential raid by Confederate Maj. Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart, which would have stifled the Union’s access to weaponry.

“It would have certainly crimped a lot of the ammunition that was being supplied to Gettysburg. Some regiments came awfully close to running out of ammunition as it was when these battles were at their height,” Dyer said.

Meanwhile, the 82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which had men not from Winnebago County, stayed in the thick of battle, fighting at Culp’s Hill.

Dyer said historians acknowledge the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg as the largest and costliest of the three. Fighting raged at Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Trostle Farm, Slaughter Pen, Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill.

By the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, the federal government spent $1.5 million each day, a small piece of the $6 billion war.

July 3, 1863
It was nearly 90 degrees, with smothering humidity, before the crossfire began at dawn. Confederate soldiers were attacking Culp’s Hill, where the 82nd was fighting.

Around 11 a.m., it stopped.

“A very eerie quiet had fallen all over the battlefield,” Dyer said. “One soldier said it became as still as a Sabbath Day, and another said it felt like the calm before a terrible storm.”

Around 1 p.m., the Confederates fired cannons. The startling, loud boom could be heard all the way to Baltimore and New York City.

The Union fired back with guns and cannons. The day concluded with Pickett’s Charge, an attempt to dislodge Union forces from hilltop positions; the Confederates were massacred.

“You try to take yourself back, but you can’t really imagine what it would have been like, not having seen and witnessing it yourself. The ground actually resonates,” Dyer said.

Tracing history
Historians rely on records left by adjutant generals to determine who served in the Civil War and at what battles.

They were the commanders’ right-hand men and wrote down as many — or as few — details about a regiment’s involvement in battle. They were tasked with keeping track of whether a man was killed, injured, missing or deserted, or they would delegate the job to a chaplain or medical officers.

“Some of them I have four pages for, and some two pages, and some half a page,” Schroeder said.

Jennifer Wheeler: 815-987-1354; jwheeler@rr star.com; @jenmwheeler

Rockton cemetery honors Civil War soldiers
ROCKTON — More than 50 flags will be sprinkled across Rockton Township Cemetery this weekend, honoring residents who served in the Civil War.

After learning of the Battle of Gettysburg’s 150th anniversary, Sexton Jerri Noller decided to place a flag near each Civil War veteran’s gravesite.

The cemetery, 600 West St., is open from dawn to dusk.

“When you figure, about 150 years ago and how many of them died in the war ... (they were) never brought back here to be buried. To honor these few 50 is remarkable,” Noller said.

She was able to trace who served in the war by scanning records or finding a symbol, such as the Grand Army of the Republic, on the site. The most notable headstone at the cemetery belongs to Union Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth, who died in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Boone County tied to Civil War regiment flag
SPRINGFIELD — A Civil War regiment flag hanging in Illinois Old State Capitol building has ties to Boone County.

The Illinois State Military Museum loaned the Illinois 95th Infantry flag to display in the upper rotunda near the Civil War-era adjutant general’s office, said Michael Burke, assistant manager of living history. The Boone County Historical Society and McHenry County Civil War Round Table paid for conservation work.

“The most common reaction is that they want to stand up there and count the stars. They know there aren’t 50, and they are arranged in an oval,” Burke said.

It’s a rare artifact that soldiers were proud to carry during battle. Not only was the individual a symbol of the regiment, but it helped commanders locate regiments while entrenched in warfare.

These individuals were quite exposed, though, and became a target during warfare. Regiments would go through countless color-bearers during a battle.

“Despite the short life expectancy of a color-bearer, it was a tremendous honor,” Burke said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.